Dublin Port Post 2040 Dialogue – Paper 1 WHY DUBLIN PORT IS WHERE IT IS 28th September 2020 The Danish academic, Bent Flyvbjerg, unforeseeable risks which cannot be transferred to contractors except at enormous cost, and at levels most defines megaprojects as large-scale, complex project promoters would balk at. ventures that typically cost $1 billion or more, take many years to develop and The capacity of megaprojects to waste capital is enormous and, particularly where public money is build, involve multiple public and private involved, it is unquestionably a good thing to avoid a stakeholders, are transformational, and megaproject if at all possible. 1 impact millions of people . A good starting point to thinking about the project to build new port facilities on the east coast of Ireland is to The 20 year project to build new port infrastructure understand why Dublin Port is where it is. on the east coast of Ireland is, by this definition, a megaproject. The definition applies equally to the project All ports are the product of large scale anthropogenic to build new port facilities to augment the existing interventions into the natural environment and it is in facilities in Dublin Port or to the project to build a the nature of ports that the scale of this intervention, replacement port which would allow the lands of Dublin being underwater, is not readily visible nor easily Port to be redeveloped for other purposes. Dublin Port appreciated. Such interventions are needed to provide Company is planning on the basis that it may have to the fundamental prerequisite for any port – an access build the former. Some people believe that the latter channel into a sheltered area where berths for ships can should be built. Both are megaprojects. be provided. Whichever port project might ultimately be built, it needs In some cases, such as in Cork, Falmouth and Sydney, to be thought through very carefully. Megaprojects are nature provides a natural harbour with deep water where environmentally challenging and, as a general rule, tend port facilities can be constructed. to be far more expensive to build than ever envisaged when being planned. In many cases, megaprojects end On the east coast of Ireland, however, there are no up being even more expensive than anticipated at the deep water harbours and most of the ports are built time construction contracts are awarded because of on small rivers. 1 The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management, edited by Bent Flyvbjerg, 2017 DUBLIN PORT POST 2040 DIALOGUE - PAPER 1 - WHY DUBLIN PORT IS WHERE IT IS 2 The single most important attribute of any port is Ships with draughts of up to 7.5 metres can enter its depth of water. In Dublin Port, there is 7.8 metres the port without tidal restriction on most days over of water available at the lowest tide2. This is the the course of the year. In practice, the maximum ruling depth for the port and the rise of the tide is draught for ships operating daily fixed time schedules additional to this. (notably Ro-Ro ferries) is 6.8 metres. With a ruling depth of 7.8 metres, the depth of water The channel depth in Dublin Port is currently being available in Dublin Port varies across the annual phases increased to 10.0 metres and this will increase the of the tides between two extremes: maximum draught of ship that can be accommodated • The Highest Astronomical Tide (HAT) expected in on most days during the year from 10.2 metres to 12.4 Dublin Port is 4.5 metres (implying a depth of water in metres (with a tidal restriction). the approach channel and fairway of 12.3 metres). It will also allow ships with draughts of up to 9.7 metres • The Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT) is -0.1m giving enter the port at any stage of the tide on most days of 7.7 metres of water3. the year (with no tidal restriction). In practice, a channel Between these two extremes, the depth of water is best of 10.0 metres will allow ships with draughts of up to described by reference to the mean levels of spring tides 9.0 metres to enter Dublin Port on every day of the year. and neap tides. The current ruling depth of 7.8 metres allows Dublin Port accept ships with draughts of up to 10.2 metres on most days in the year but within a tidal window. Mean high Channel Max Mean low Channel Max Current ruling depth: 7.8m water depth draught* water depth draught* Spring tides 4.1m 11.9m 10.9m 0.7m 8.5m 7.5m Neap tides 3.4m 11.2m 10.2m 1.4m 9.2m 8.2m * Assumes an under keel clearance of 1.0m Mean high Channel Max Mean low Channel Max Future ruling depth: 10.0m water depth draught* water depth draught Spring tides 4.1m 14.1m 13.1m 0.7m 10.7m 9.7m Neap tides 3.4m 13.4m 12.4m 1.4m 11.4m 10.4m * Assumes an under keel clearance of 1.0m Spring tides Neap tides Spring tides Neap tides 4.1m mean high water 4.1m mean high water 3.4m mean high water 3.4m mean high water 1.4m mean low water 1.4m mean low water 0.7m mean low water 0.7m mean low water 7.8m current ruling depth 10.0m future ruling depth 2 Where heights on land are measured against Ordnance Datum (OD), the depth of water in ports is normally measured against a local datum referred to as Chart Datum. Chart Datum normally equals or is very close to lowest astronomical tide. In Dublin LAT is 0.1 metre Chart Datum. Chart Datum is 2.51 metres below OD. The figure of 7.8 metres used here is 7.8 metres below Chart Datum. 3 HAT and LAT are the highest and lowest tides which can be predicted to occur under average meteorological conditions and under any combination of astronomical conditions. Extreme weather conditions can add or take away up to one metre of water depth. DUBLIN PORT POST 2040 DIALOGUE - PAPER 1 - WHY DUBLIN PORT IS WHERE IT IS 3 By international standards, Dublin Port is a shallow port. For example, Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam, Greenore has a channel 24 metres deep, Barcelona has 16 metres Dundalk and Helsinki’s Vuosaari Harbour has 11 metres. Drogheda However, by the standards of the east coast of Ireland, Dublin Dublin Port is a deepwater port with considerably greater Wicklow water depth available than in any of the eight other ports Arklow in the range from Greenore to Waterford. Where Dublin Port has 7.8 meters of water plus whatever New Ross Rosslare is on the tide, all of the other eight ports have less and, in most cases, considerably less. Worst off of all is Dundalk Waterford where there is almost no water at all in the approach channel at low tide and where the berths at the port’s quay walls dry out altogether and ships have to rest on the river bed. Ruling Depth metres Port / Harbour Location Owner below CD Relative scale4 Greenore Carlingford Lough Doyle Shipping Group 5.9m 3.9% Dundalk Castletown River Dublin Port Company Dries out 0.3% Drogheda River Boyne Drogheda Port Company 2.2m 5.8% Dublin River Liffey Dublin Port Company 7.8m 100.0% Wicklow Leitrim River Wicklow County Council 2.7m 0.6% Arklow Avoca River Wicklow County Council 3.4m 0.0% Rosslare Harbour on the Irish Sea Irish Rail 6.2m 7.7% New Ross River Barrow Wexford County Council 3.0m 1.4% Waterford River Suir Port of Waterford Company 6.5m 7.0% Because of this greater depth, Dublin Port has a far Port Rotterdam Barcelona Helsinki Dublin higher cargo throughput than any of these eight ports depth either individually or in aggregate. Dublin Port’s scale is fundamentally a function of the port’s depth of water. Where deep water was available (or created), population centres grew and, as a consequence, trade volumes grew. Dublin City and Dublin Port have a basic 7.8m underlying relationship which needs to be understood and appreciated. Even though the availability of deep water was limited, proximity to Britain motivated the 11.0m development of settlements on the east coast of Ireland. Whereas the Vikings landed at a number of locations on the east coast, including at Annagassen in Co. Louth, it was in Dublin that their settlement prospered and grew 16.0m for over a thousand years. Rotterdam 24.0m Barcelona 16.0m Helsinki’s Vuosaari Harbour 11.0m 24.0m Dublin Port 7.8m 4 Based on cargo throughputs as reported by the CSO for 2019 DUBLIN PORT POST 2040 DIALOGUE - PAPER 1 - WHY DUBLIN PORT IS WHERE IT IS 4 Ireland is sparsely populated with only 70 people per square kilometre and with no short sea trading routes to the west and relatively long distances on trading routes to the south. Over these many years, the Liffey was canalised, the port Ireland is sparsely populated with only 70 people per moved eastwards to access deeper water as ships got square kilometre and with no short sea trading routes bigger and two sea walls were built. The idea of moving to the west and relatively long distances on trading Dublin Port to another location requires a project that in routes to the south. relatively few years would replicate developments which have taken centuries to achieve.